Kites take wing at rose fest

CHANDIGARH: During the kite-flying competition at the Rose Festival the skyline was dotting with a plethora of colours as kites in all kinds of shapes fluttered everywhere.
The highlight of the day was Ujal Shah from Ahmedabad Kite Foundation flying 105 kites on a single string to kick off the competition. Kites with messages and shapes other than the diamond also proved to be a hit at the event.
What's more, a kite the size of a Rs 1 coin, was also flown at the competition. Even though lack of wind for sometime proved to be a dampener for those taking part in the competition, more than 100 kites were flown at the event. ''This is the first time that we are doing something like this here so it was quite fascinating for us to be able to see so many kites flying in the air on a single string at the same time. We were lucky with the wind as well,'' said NK Jhingan, secretary of the Environmental Society of India that organized the kite-flying competition.
''We flew the smallest orange kite when there was wind. It cannot go as far as the other kites, but the thrill is no less,'' said Ujal Shah, chairman of the foundation.
Fighter kites, which were twice the size of a normal sized kite, were also flown at the competition. Kites with messages about HIV awareness and 'no-water holi' were also displayed along with other kites.